1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of automotive electrical batteries, and more particularly to the safety and service life thereof.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Every automobile on the road today contains at least one wet cell battery. The battery is an indispensable part of the drive system, providing electrical power for such functions as engine starting, ignition, lights, etc. The heart of the battery is a reservoir of sulfuric acid which chemically reacts with a pair of opposite metallic poles to establish a voltage between them. This voltage is used to run the automobile's electrical devices, such as those mentioned above.
The acid contained in a battery is strong enough to cause serious damage to many parts of the automobile and serious injury to the skin of a person coming in contact with it. This acid can discharge dangerous fumes in cases of overheating due to electrical problems or ambient conditions. Under extreme circumstances a battery can actually explode, spraying its acid in all directions.
If any of these accidents occurs, in addition to damage to the automobile and the people nearby, there will be extensive environmental damage. When liquid or gaseous sulfuric acid is released due to a battery accident it can harm ground water supplies and air quality. The ultimate effect on the health of plants, animals and people may be disastrous. Thus, the effect of a sulfuric acid leak can be widespread, with the damage being multiplied due to the cumulative effect of many such leaks from even a small percentage of the hundreds of millions of cars in operation today.
Some recent automobile batteries have been designed so that they do not require maintenance or the addition of water. These "service free" batteries have been included as manufacturer supplied original equipment on many vehicles. Although batteries of this type are designed to operate without requiring added water, they still have a danger of leakage or explosion.
Another area of concern is the service life of the battery under ordinary and extraordinary conditions. If a battery becomes too cold it will not function properly, because the electrical power output is somewhat reduced. If the battery becomes too hot it will physically deteriorate more quickly than usual and require replacement sooner.
For an automobile battery to perform its function over a long life, it must be accessible for occasional servicing. Such servicing includes checking the amount of acid in the battery and replenishing water (from which the battery forms acid during operation) in the reservoir when low. In case of battery failure it is necessary to have access to the battery to attach auxiliary cables to the terminal posts of the battery to charge the battery or to start the engine. A battery also must be accessible so that it may be removed for replacement with a new battery.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a unit that will protect both people handling an automotive battery and automotive equipment surrounding a battery from accidental spills of battery acid.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a battery safety unit that will prevent environmental pollution damage due to battery accidents.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a unit that will improve battery life and performance.
It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide a unit that will allow simple and efficient removal, replacement and servicing of an automotive battery.
These and additional objectives of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the details of the invention are disclosed.